Introduction for Chapter 11
11. The Later Middle Ages, 1300–1450
>How did the catastrophes of the Late Middle Ages change European society? Chapter 11 examines the tumultuous fourteenth century. Between 1300 and 1450, Europeans experienced a frightful series of shocks. The climate turned colder and wetter, leading to poor harvests and famine. In the middle of the fourteenth century, a new disease, probably the bubonic plague, spread throughout Europe, killing millions. War devastated the countryside, leading to widespread discontent and peasant revolts. Workers in cities also revolted, and violent crime and ethnic tensions increased as well. Yet, in spite of all this, important institutions and cultural forms, including representative assemblies and national literatures, emerged. Even institutions that experienced severe crisis, such as the Christian Church, saw new types of vitality.
LearningCurve
After reading the chapter, use LearningCurve to retain what you’ve read.
>How did climate change shape the late Middle Ages?
>How did the Black Death reshape European society?
>What were the causes, course, and consequences of the Hundred Years’ War?
>Why did the church come under increasing criticism?
>What explains the social unrest of the late Middle Ages?
| 1300– |
1347 |
| – Little ice age | – Black Death arrives in Europe |
| 1309– |
1358 |
| – Babylonian Captivity; papacy in Avignon | – Jacquerie peasant uprising in France |
| 1310– |
1366 |
| – Dante writes Divine Comedy | – Statute of Kilkenny |
| 1315– |
1378– |
| – Great Famine in northern Europe | – Great Schism |
| 1320s | 1381 |
| – First large- |
– English Peasants’ Revolt |
| 1337– |
1387– |
| – Hundred Years’ War | – Chaucer writes Canterbury Tales |